In the Face of Death
by Moni Hasnone
Summary: When a corrupt police officer sentenced to death meets a righteous vigilante hellbent on avenging any atrocities committed against women of the nation, an interesting conversation ensues. Hypothetical Rewrite of "Temper" and "Rakhi" (South Indian Cinema). This was the closest category to SIC, so I placed this story here.


**A/N: The movies this story is based on is South Indian Cinema (particularly Telugu Cinema). I'm making my way through Indian movies, and these caught my eyes, so here's the story that came from them. Since I know that many don't watch this small subset of movies, I included vague synopses at the beginning. If you want more details, both movies are on YouTube with english subtitles (how do you think I understood it?). They are worth the watch and action was phenomenal.**

Disclaimer: The topics discussed below are pretty dark. While I tried to gloss over them, they are still worth the rating that I had placed on this story. Please be aware of this. I recommend 18+ for below (although I don't think my story is necessarily too mature).

 **Movies:**

Temper (2015) Directed by Puri Jagannadh

Synopsis: A corrupt police officer's (Daya's) life changes when he realizes his costly mistake resulted in a young girl's brutal rape and murder.

Rakhi (2006) Directed by Krishna Vamsi

Synopsis: When his younger sister is abused and burnt to death by his brother-in-law, Rakhi decides to stand up as a brother against all of the atrocities committed against women by men

 **Scene premise:** What if Daya and Rakhi met in the jail hours before Daya's death sentence?

"Idiot," Mani screamed from across the bars. He stuck his arm out, waving wildly as he accused the man in front of him. "You called us psychos in the courtroom. We're psychos? You're the psycho." Daya looked up from his side of the cell, facing the four brothers. He smiled softly, almost triumphantly. Ignoring the fact that along with these sadists he would be hanged within hours as well, he felt rather proud of being able to lawfully serve justice to these criminals.

Daya didn't reply, opting to sit down on the concrete floor, leaning on the cell bars as he faced away from the other cell. He sniffed softly as he dabbed at the small cut on his upper lip, courtesy of the eldest brother, Ravi.

The only reason that these five men were placed in two separate cells was a special thanks to Waltair Vasu's brothers. All four of them (despite the police officers holding them back) had tried to jump on Daya the moment the ex-police officer entered the van on transit from the court to jail. They managed to land a couple of good hits as well.

Of course, he had too.

Daya tugged at the short sleeve of his white jail clothes. He turned around slightly to observe the four still pacing around their cell nervously. Fearfully. Almost as if they still didn't want to believe that they would die so soon.

And their fear, the raw pain and panic in their eyes fueled Daya. It helped cement his decision. After all, these four had shown an innocent woman forty days of hell; it only seemed fair to show them at least a small ounce of pain they inflicted upon her. They hurt her, destroyed her and played with her like a toy. They tore her to pieces like animals and once they had their fun, killed her off.

Daya closed his eyes as the pain hit him. He wasn't completely innocent in Deepthi's murder case. He was the corrupt police officer who allowed these brutes to roam the streets freely just so that he could make some extra cash. He never knew that his actions had such consequences; if he had, he would have never done it.

When it came down to it, it seems like him dying with these fools might actually be correct, a just way to end his life. He had hoped that if he could get justice for Deepthi, he could spend the rest of his life correcting his mistakes and living with Sanvi. But his sins had finally caught up to him. And the result was his death as a wrongfully-titled corrupt _and_ rapist police officer.

The result was the hanging of four rapists and the entire nation witnessing a sensational judgement. The result was justice.

And for that, Daya couldn't be more happy.

The sound of footsteps echoed across the jail, as a group of officers made their way to their cells.

The head officer stopped in front of the four, turning his head slightly to see Daya pull himself up from the ground. The officer looked away disappointed. And he wasn't wrong; Daya had tarnished not only his name, but whatever good name the police had before this case.

He signed, turning to brothers. "What would you like to eat as your last meal?" He asked nonchalantly. If it had been up to him, he would have let all five of the criminals starve before executing them.

Ravi stopped his tense gait. "Last meal?" He repeated, his voice raising with anger and fear. The remaining brothers gathered around their brother, the same incredulous look in their eyes. The police officer replied in affirmative. "We're about to die, and you're talking about food?"

Ravi stuck his arm out of his cell, pointing towards Daya on the opposite side. "Look at him!" he yelled out loud. "Go ask him, he'll eat," he said, his voice dripping with hatred and sarcasm.

Daya hummed, agreeing with Ravi as he started listing his menu. "I want –" The officer switched to his side, noting down the dinner menu.

It was moments later that the officers returned, with a clean steel plate filled with everything that was asked for. They even included his pappad (something he insisted was compulsory).

And Daya didn't hesitate, to the utter dismay of the four brothers. He dug his right hand into the pearl white rice, and started devouring his meal, only looking up once to see the remaining four brothers stare back at him in awe.

"How are you hungry?" Mani asked, unable to resist.

"You aren't?" Daya replied, his mouth still full, and his focus entirely on the eggplant on the corner of his plate. "Your brother sent men to beat me up last night. He didn't even send two liquor bottles that he promised." The ex-officer looked up after stuffing his face again. "I didn't eat anything from this morning. Spent so much time thinking about how to convict you guys for the crime you committed."

That seemed to trigger the four brothers and they started screaming across the cells. The warden banged his stick across the cell, bringing them to an abrupt silence. Daya wasn't even fazed, finishing his meal at his own pace before washing his hands and the plate at the corner of the cell. He handed the now clean plate to the officer standing outside.

"That was a good meal, thank you, sir," He thanked the man outside as he wiped his wet hands on his white shirt.

He turned to the four brothers, looking at them curiously. "Looking at you, I do feel bad for you. You probably didn't eat anything all day either." His eyes twinkled, teasingly. "Any last wishes that I can do for you?"

The brothers started screaming again, Mani whipping his long dreadlocks angrily. And Daya just leaned back against the cell wall, enjoying how much he can rile up these fools with simple words.

"You want our last wish?" Sudeep yelled over his brothers' voices. "Damn it! If we have to die, we would rather watch you die first." The brothers fell silent at that.

Daya paused, his eyes hardening as he stared at the four in front of him. He had no doubts that all five of them would be hanged. The media had this case covered, and no police officer could get away with trying to get any of them out of here alive.

If that was their last wish, why not?

"Officer," Daya called out. All the officers turned to face Daya. "Simple request. Before those rougues, please hang me." The request stunned the occupants of the jail, inmates and guards alike. "They're rather excited to witness my death, so why not?" He turned back to four. "Happy?"

The brothers didn't reply, just watching as Daya moved back to lie on the concrete slab. "Mental, bloody mental," Ravi muttered gazing at how leisurely he relaxed. Daya returned that statement with a smile, before turning away and closing his eyes.

And he could hear the laugher of his girlfriend, her bright smile lighting up the darkening world, when the sun began to set on the beach. Her caramel curls floated gently with the wind, her hazel eyes twinkling.

 _Why did you do this?_ Sanvi asked, tears pouring freely from her eyes as she held onto him tightly on the court steps. _How did you think I could live without you?_

Daya slowly opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling sadly.

" _Bhayya_ ," a voice called out from the left side of his cell, and Daya got up to face that side.

A chubbier man stared back at him, sporting a light beard and messy curly hair. His wide eyes displayed an unknown innocence, yet the caked blood around his face told a different story. He wore a black shirt and a jeans pant, not at all in the same attire as the rest of the inmates. He was chained down to his cell, an extra precaution to keep him in check. Daya observed him as the man slowly moved down to sit, his chains clinging around his chest at the movement.

"What's your story, Bhayya?" He asked.

"Why do you care?" Daya replied with his signature sarcasm.

The other man shrugged. "They brought the five of you here today and told us that you would be hanged by tomorrow morning. What did you do that warrants such immediate punishment?"

Daya moved forward and crouched down in front of the chained man, only the cell bars separating the two men. At such close proximity, the ex-officer couldn't help but notice similarities between himself and the other man.

"You're also in this jail. Why are you here, chained to the cell like this?"

The other man smiled widely. "My name is Ramakrishna, Bhayya. People also call me Rakhi. I killed 49 men. In a span of a couple of days."

Daya's eyes widened, shocked and he fell back into a sitting position. "49 people?" The perpetrator before him nodded proudly. "Why?"

"Because I loved my younger sister, Gayithri," Rakhi replied concisely. "Because I love all of my sisters in this state."

And Daya understood immediately, his mind finally taking him back to mere weeks prior to his _Dandayatra_ when he had heard of the serial murder case. The only common point for each murder was the Rakhi bandan string left at the crime spot. And the various women standing there proclaiming that Rakhi had committed the crime, and that he was God. His mouth fell agape at the man sitting innocently in front of him.

"You still didn't tell me your story," Rakhi said, pulling the other man out his stupor.

And Daya found himself curiously looking back, wondering what this man would do if he told him the reason behind his arrest. His eyes slowly made their way to his right hand. Rakhi's entire arm was covered in threads, the rakhi bandan that so many woman had tied to his arm days before, proclaiming him as their brother.

Seeing the honest man, with honest intentions, Daya couldn't help but admire him. And he couldn't keep himself from telling him the truth. "I – we – committed an unpardonable crime to one of your sisters." He softly admitted. He maintained eye contact with the other man, observing his face harden as flames erupted in his eyes.

"What did you do?" Rakhi demanded, as he quickly rose to his feet. Daya rose to his feet as well, glancing quickly to his side to see the four brothers and the police guards observing their interaction.

"We raped her," Daya replied, glaring at the four brothers. "We tortured her for forty days and enjoyed every moment of it."

And Rakhi leaped forward, grabbing Daya's white collar as he pulled him towards his cell. Daya didn't move to protect himself, allowing Rakhi to drag him. "Bastard, how are you boasting about this proudly?" The younger officers rushed forward, but were stopped by their warden. Rakhi released the other man, opting to slap his right hand against his own head multiple times as he prowled his cell. "I'm gone for mere weeks, and my nation is at it again." He turned angrily to face the other man. "Animals like you shouldn't exist, you don't deserve a place on this Earth."

"I know," Daya agreed. "That's why we're being sentenced to death early tomorrow."

"By hanging?" Rakhi grabbed at the cell bars, clenching his fists around the rods tightly. "That's far too painless of a death for you."

Daya's eyes burned with the same furious rage as the other man, and for anyone who saw these two men facing each other, they could have easily mistaken one to be a mirror image of the other. "I know," He stated with almost as much passion. "If it were up to me, I would do a little more. But this was all I could do. Lawfully, this was all I could give them."

That sentence stopped Rakhi, and he gazed at the other man, confused. "What?"

"Daya," Another officer joined the hall, carrying five pairs of black onesies in his arms. Daya turned around to face him. "It is time," He announced as he slipped one pair into his cell.

Daya walked over, picking up his new set of clothes as he looked back at the other man. "You tried to serve justice in your own way, not minding what happened to you in the process." He sighed softly as he started unbuttoning his white shirt. "You are very lucky, to have so much of the world support you, and to see how much you have achieved.

 _Anna_ , I am trying to serve justice in my own way." He gazed back meaningfully. "Regardless of what happens to me."

The ex-police quickly slipped into his new clothes just as the officer opened his cell door. He held his hands up together so that they could cuff him again. The officer nudged him towards the cell door, and Daya started to walk. At the exit, he turned around, gazing at his reflection sadly. "Anna, please protect our sisters, now that I will be gone."

And Rakhi watched as the officers took the other man out, walking him and the remaining four to the center of the jail. "Rakhi," one of the guards called out. "What is it?"

Rakhi quickly jolted out of his thoughts. "Sir, can I watch their hanging?"

The officer looked thoughtfully at the men who left, and then back again at Rakhi. "Only if you promise not to attack."

Rakhi quickly nodded.

***Section Break***

Seeing the noose hanging in front of them, right above the strong wooden platform, scared the four brothers. If it weren't for the promise of Daya's death before their's, all four would be jolting towards the nearest exit; not that it would help much, considering the number of armed officers that surrounded them.

Daya himself was oddly relaxed even as his every step led him to Death's doorway. He stopped mere feet from the platform, and the four brothers stood in line with him, all with a clear visible view of their death. They waited patiently as the officer unlocked all their cuffs. Daya didn't close his eyes, keeping them steadily on the platform. He didn't want to blink even for a moment. He would have plenty of time to close his eyes later, he thought in morbid humor.

The officer unlocked his cuffs, and Daya felt Ravi gaze at him. The officer opened his arm in the direction, inviting him to step forward to his death first, like he had promised.

And Daya stepped forward, unflinchingly as he covered the gap. He walked in-line with the officer, with just as much confidence and pride as he had when he captured the four rogues and submitted them in the court. He didn't need to be told twice, and slowly ascended the stairs onto the platform, each step falling onto the ground like the heavy beat of a drum.

His heart beat slightly faster than that drum.

And Daya turned to face those on the ground, under his stage. Another officer walked behind him, pulling his arms and tying his hands together, the rough rope tightly wound around his wrists.

Still his stoic face gazed into the distance, his eyes determined to see this through to the end. To his end.

There was a jingle – the startled movement of chains, and Daya shifted his glance ever-so-slightly to see Rakhi on the ground, surrounded by police, but here to witness his death.

The officer behind him finished his work, tightly weaving the rope around his wrists before turning to pull out a black cloth bag. He lifted the bag over Daya's head, covering the view, and leaving the ex-officer in pitch blackness.

And it seemed with the lack of sight, his senses were heightened, and he felt a warmth rise up his back. Like the arms of death encircling him from the back and inviting him to finally rest. The officer behind him pushed him forward, and Daya could hear the sound of wood creaking as the noose was pulled down to wrap around his neck. The rough rope chaffed across his skin, despite the black cloth serving as the only barrier between him and the cord.

He didn't quite know which Hell he would end up in for his sins, he didn't quite know what further punishments could await him. But right now, covered in black with the noose around his neck, waiting for the hollow planks under him to fall and for silence to claim him, Daya felt at peace.

Sanvi's melodious laughter filled his ears, and he gently closed his eyes, a single drop of tear escaping from the corner of his eye.

And it was at that time, a cell phone rang, it's sharp ring cutting through the silent moment. The cloth bag and the noose were removed just as Daya flickered his eyes open. And Daya turned to face the officer before him, slight confusion in his eyes.

And what happened after that?

Well, all of you already know.

 **A/N: And if you don't know then I do recommend watching "Temper". And "Rakhi" They are powerful movies and definitely the finest in Jr. NTR's career.**

 **I sincerely doubt many would read this story (in comparison to my other stories) just because of lack of population that watches South Indian Cinema. To top that off, this is a rather dark topic. I do think both are unfortunate circumstances, but for those single digits that did read my story, my sincere thanks. And please review. (Honestly, if I get one review on this story, I will be seriously surprised haha)**


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